One had to admit, an artifact was indeed an artifact.
Even though the two rangers did not possess any powerful arcane abilities, with the aid of two formidable weapons, they still managed to inflict serious damage on the divine warriors.
Unfortunately, it was just damage.
Divine power was, after all, divine power. With such power reinforcing them, the divine warriors' magic resistance ultimately withstood the attacks of the artifacts, leaving them injured but not dead.
However, in their current wounded state, they were unable to interfere with Alaric's actions in the short term.
As for the remaining two divine warriors, Akil'zon and Jan'alai, they were even less capable of breaking free from the entanglement of the warriors and rogues compared to the bear spirit and the lynx god.
Especially with the severe injuries of the bear spirit and the lynx god, the two high elf warriors—Shal's and Saxxis—were freed up.
In the end, Mar'li's plan collapsed.
Alaric's body remained unaffected, and his consciousness was able to stay within the Emerald Dream to continue his plan.
As the spirits resisted with reckless abandon, the shadow energy controlled by the sorcery lord gradually weakened.
Consequently, his hold over the four demigods also diminished.
Though the ritual's continued execution meant the bindings could not be completely eradicated, the demigods had gained some level of freedom.
At the very least, they no longer had to expend excessive divine power to resist the ritual's drain on their strength.
As a result, though they remained trapped in the Emerald Dream, they could at least lend their power to Alaric.
"Our fate is in your hands now, Lady Ysera's chosen," Akil'zon entrusted his final blessing of natural divine power to Alaric before solemnly urging, "I hope you will not disappoint us."
"You can trust my promise," Alaric replied. "For Ysera's sake, I will defeat the trolls and free you all."
With that, he began to return his consciousness to his body.
As a dizzying sensation washed over him, Alaric felt himself reconnecting with his familiar physical form.
Then, he slowly opened his eyes.
Gone was the endless emerald green of the Emerald Dream. In its place, the colors of reality returned.
He had returned to the material plane. Everything that had just transpired felt like a dream—just as it did every time he exited the Emerald Dream.
However, a particular force within him continuously reminded him that what he had experienced was not a dream but reality.
It was the power of nature, the divine energy lent to him by the four demigods—real and tangible.
Feeling the boundless vitality within this power, Alaric's thoughts drifted toward certain spells related to nature and life.
Healing spells, spells that accelerated growth, alchemical potions—these all harnessed a similar force.
However, compared to the divine power granted by the demigods, these magics seemed shallow and superficial. While they all pertained to life, they were clearly on different levels.
As the divine energy of life coursed through him, Alaric quietly attuned himself to its presence.
From his perception, the natural divine power within him was divided into four distinct streams, each carrying the unique characteristics of its respective demigod.
For example, the eagle demigod's power embodied wisdom, sharpness, swiftness, and ferocity. The bear demigod's power exuded strength, fury, resilience, and solidity.
The potent vitality of this divine force not only healed wounds and accelerated biological growth but also enhanced the life force of those it imbued.
Yet, the divine nature of this power meant that the recipients of its strengthening would bear traits of the beings who bestowed it upon them.
This sensation gave Alaric a strong sense of familiarity.
Yes, it reminded him of the time when he first studied the Animagus transformation and performed the magical ritual.
He had sensed a similar presence then.
The difference was that the life essence in divine power originated from the demigods themselves, whereas the animal traits in Animagus transformations stemmed from the characteristics of the wizard's own soul.
Recognizing this similarity, Alaric thought of the druids.
The transformation abilities of Animagus and druids bore striking resemblance, and druidic shapeshifting was largely derived from these natural demigods.
Previously, he had believed that a person's Animagus form depended on their personality.
The only exception was himself. Due to his extensive research on dragons, he could forcibly inject dragon essence into others to alter their Animagus transformation into that of a dragon.
However, now, by analyzing the beast-like traits within the demigods' divine power, he had a new idea.
Why not study these animalistic attributes and simulate them through magic?
Alaric was convinced that the principle behind a druid's ability to transform into various animals must be similar to his hypothesis.
Now, after personally experiencing the natural divine power of four demigods, Alaric was confident that he could redesign the Animagus transformation.
By making it more akin to druidic shapeshifting, he could allow spellcasters to transform into different animals at will. This would be a major breakthrough in the field of transfiguration magic.
Of course, now was not the time for theoretical musings and research.
Alaric stood up, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Mar'li before him.
The sorcery lord had his eyes tightly shut, beads of cold sweat trickling down his forehead. His expression was grim—clearly struggling to maintain the ritual while simultaneously trying to regain control over the spirits.
Alaric understood that he needed to act immediately. If Mar'li managed to reclaim control over the spirits, the situation would become far more complicated.
With this realization, Alaric focused on the four streams of divine power flowing through him and devised a way to harness them.
Using his expert transfiguration skills, he began to chant. The dust and debris on the battlefield gathered together, forming four irregular masses of stone that rapidly shifted and reshaped themselves.
Eventually, the stones transformed into four massive beasts.
Naturally, they took the forms of an eagle, a bear, a dragonhawk, and a lynx.
Then, Alaric infused each stone beast with the corresponding stream of divine power, replacing the usual magical energy required for transfiguration.
In the next moment, the power of nature unveiled its miracle.
Like a scene from ancient myth, the stone beasts, imbued with divine energy, turned into living creatures of flesh and blood—something Alaric's transfiguration magic could accomplish as well.
However, what truly astounded him was that these creatures emanated an aura not of ordinary beasts, but of the demigods themselves—the raw and untamed essence of nature that Alaric had just experienced.
Yet, the most shocked of all was Mar'li.
"H-how is this possible…" The once-arrogant sorcery lord was now utterly panicked. "You… weren't you supposed to be trapped? How are you here…?"
He seemed to mistake the summoned beasts for the actual demigods. As a sorcery lord who had betrayed his faith, he now feared that the gods he had abandoned had broken free—and had come for revenge.
This realization sent him into utter turmoil, disrupting his focus on both the ritual and the shadow energies he commanded.
Seeing this, Alaric immediately understood—this was the perfect moment to strike.